Do you ever grumble at the thought of opening your home up to others? Do you find yourself getting wrapped up in the details of hospitality, trying to get everything just perfect? Christina Fox looks at the story of Martha and Mary and shares four lessons on biblical hospitality.

So what are we to do? Should we start playing "Leave It to Beaver" re-runs and tell women they'd be happy if they followed June Cleaver's example? Should we encourage them to start wearing high heels and pearls
while vacuuming?

Women at home rocking tea-length dresses, frilly aprons, and adorable high heels, vacuuming with an Electrolux vacuum while their 2.5 children play quietly near by . . . Is this the picture of perfect womanhood?

It's a no-brainer that what we think about determines our actions. If I think about chocolate all day . . . (which isn't hard to do) I'm probably going to be hitting the candy bar aisle at the grocery store before the day is over!

I've always been a word nerd (as a young girl, you'd find me salivating in the paper aisle while my mom shopped Walmart for groceries), and there's plenty of room for words on this wonderfully large calendar. In fact, I just spent a few minutes penciling in important dates I'm aware of in 2014 . . .

Do you find yourself striving to be perfect? A June Cleaver, your favorite Christian speaker, and Martha Stewart all rolled into one? Maybe you're OCD (or, in alphabetical order, CDO). Or maybe you simply desire to be a 'well-rounded person.' But have you paused to ask yourself Why?

I am not unlike my mother, Eve. I don't go a day, sometimes even an hour, without hearing the faint whisper of the serpent in my ear, "Did God actually say?" I'm tempted to walk by my feelings and dub myself the new queen of authority on a regular basis, without thinking about the long-term impact.

“Many of the black females I ran with in college went on to be doctors, lawyers, etc. I was looked down upon by a research professor when I expressed my desire to stop grad school and do the internship with my church college ministry, Volunteers For Christ. See, I was forfeiting all that the civil rights leaders had worked so hard for me to be able to do—I had gotten into law school and wasn’t going to go.”

Sexual violence is a problem that ought to concern us all. However, I fear that SlutWalks do little to improve woman's lot. In fact, they arguably exacerbate the very problem they say they're trying to solve.

The message we are hearing this International Women’s Day is that women will only be equal when they assume the same roles as men. Enforcing “sameness” will uphold woman’s worth and dignity. I beg to differ.

According to Wikipedia, one in seven couples have problems in conceiving a baby. When you're facing a childless future, how do you know what's right when it comes to infertility treatments? Should you seek medical help? What kinds are okay? Is it even biblical?

I have all the tell tale signs of a hormonal overload. My skin has betrayed me. There isn’t enough chocolate in Hershey to satisfy my cravings. Worst of all, my emotions seem to have stamped their ticket for a roller coaster ride where there are no exits.

So what are we to do? Should we start playing “Leave it to Beaver”
re-runs and tell women they’d be happy if they followed June Cleaver’s
example? Should we encourage them to start wearing high heels and pearls
while vacuuming? Should we run advertising campaigns that glorify the
value of ironing, or disparage women who can’t bake cookies from
scratch?

Most change happens gradually. A child slowly learns to read. Braces slowly straighten teeth. A bush is slowly trimmed and shaped into a hedge. But then there are those changes that happen all at once. They are “Click!” or “Aha!” moments when our perspectives suddenly shift, and we begin to see the whole world in a different light.

A couple weeks ago, I left my computer and cubicle behind, and hit the streets asking women some tough questions about what it means to be a true woman. While I’m glad I didn’t have to answer these questions on the spot, I will say that there’s a whole lot of confusion amongst women about who we are, why we exist, and what will make us truly happy.

I was feeling a little under the weather the other day, so my sweet husband decided to take my boys out for breakfast to give me a break. When the hostess asked how many to seat and my husband replied “just the three of us,” she bent in close and whispered, “Did momma leave?”

Next Tuesday, I will be joining host Chris Adams LIVE on the LifeWay Women’s Video Livestream Webcast to discuss the ministry
challenges and opportunities of living in a world gone wild. Join us as
we discuss how you can seize the moment to help women discover the
meaning of womanhood, and live according to God’s beautiful design.

Anything guys can do, girls can do better. Right? Well maybe-maybe not. But according to the Bible, roles aren’t based on who’s more capable or competent, or whose turn it is, or who wants to have a go at it.

Do you feel like “throwing in the towel” in your marriage, in your faith walk with Jesus, in life in general? As you watch this video, be encouraged that because God is a God of redemption, there’s no reason to quit! There is a way out, and He will provide that at the right time.

It didn’t take long for an opportunity to share some of what I learned with a woman after a swim class. Leslie’s mom was a Feminist,
and Leslie had obviously absorbed much of the Feminist philosophy into
her life. A lesbian in a relationship that she admitted was “not
satisfying,” Leslie said she didn't think she could relate to the
biblical model of womanhood.

"I am no less of a woman in my singleness, and when I embrace God’s purpose in my singleness rather than resenting it, I am able to display trust in a sovereign God to the world around me. This type of trust will reveal much about God’s character to the world around me: 'Therefore, a single woman who lives with that final day in view, and finds Christ to be her all in all here, says something very powerfully and very clearly about her Savior.'”

Men are not women. They are not genderless. They are not androgynous.
They have an innate, God-given bent to initiate and be heroes. They want
to untie the world from the tracks of complacency. They want to get
their hands dirty. They want to answer the call of manhood. They want to
be MEN . . . and what’s more, they want women to be women.

. . . That’s just one of the many reasons it gives me great pleasure to announce the just-released book, Voices of the True Woman Movement. Pull up a chair (or sit down on the corner of my beach towel), and let’s turn the never-before-opened cover and take a glance inside.

Besides the expected beer commercials (getting the girl), and annoying chicken commercials (getting the food), and voice-over babies trading stocks (getting the money), there were a few commercials during this year's Super Bowl that illustrated men were getting frustrated.

There's nothing unusual about the idea that scantily clad Betty would use her seductive charm and kisses to "train" a man. The classic Betty Boop, and women throughout history, have used that tact. But the other message on the box was startling.

According to a recent article I read, feminism allows individuals to redefine feminism and construct a personal feminist philosophy. So, for those who care to see it, here is my "personal feminist philosophy."

As a result of the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, we've lost over forty million babies as a nation. Four thousand pregnancies per day are ended through abortion. Did you get that? Please allow these numbers to sink in.

Amidst the busyness of Christmas, I want to pause and reflect more deeply upon the Christmas story. And this year God has brought to mind two women who played a major role—two women who I think are true examples of biblical womanhood.

"As Christians, we have an opportunity to help families around the world by both standing against incredible injustice against women and by preaching the gospel of reconciliation. Let's not lose any ground to lesser solutions."

Ephesians 2:14 states that Jesus Christ Himself is our peace. If this is true, why are so many homes brimming over with stress-filled activity, busy schedules without margins, chaotic bustle, and conflict?

One of the most debated church issues is "women's roles." At the risk of invading seemingly "shark-infested waters," I'm going to wade in today to discuss women's role in the church. And let me say from the outset, I am NOT opposed to strong women.

There is much debate in the Christian community over the touchy subject of role distinctions. One camp argues that the wife's role of submission was the result of the fall. If this were the case, I would have an even greater struggle with submitting!

Just a couple days ago, I was wounded by someone’s words. As I wiped my tears away, I picked up Nancy DeMoss’ four-week devotional booklet titled The Power of Words, and found my perspective changing as I read this . . .

In modern English, "meekness" carries the stigma of cowardly acquiescence. But the meekness of the Bible—the meekness manifested by God and given to the saints—is a strong, active, volitional, courageous attitude.

We tried. We really did. We embraced education, careers, prominence. We despised all relationships and responsibilities that would hold us back. We moved marriage, mothering, and homemaking from the top of our lists to the bottom–or crossed them off altogether. After all, we were so much more enlightened than our fore sisters were. The world had revolved around men, but it was our turn now.

As we sang we'd glare at the boys, while digging our heels into the ground, giving the impression of grinding them into powder. I doubt we understood the song's content, and although our little game may have been innocent, in actuality, we girls loved the feeling of power brought on by this early form of ‘male bashing.’

There’s one Southern phrase that I’m quite drawn to: “Steel Magnolia.” I love the phrase, because to me it speaks to the essence of womanhood. The image melds beauty with perseverance, softness with backbone, delicacy with durability, sweetness with stamina.

Today, let's consider how we express our femininity in more substantive ways than time spent in malls, dressing up for dates, collecting hundreds of lipstick colors, or the love of “Southern Living” décor.

My husband, a pastor, eventually reached a crisis of faith brought on by his inability to reconcile the question of God’s power to transform. You see, he watched me begin every day on my knees in prayer and in diligent study of the Word, and yet I was a terror to live with.

. . . Think of it like exercise. Few and far between are the women who look forward to running alone on a treadmill. But, get a group of women together at the YMCA, with a loud, peppy cheerleader-type at the front, and suddenly exercise becomes . . . enjoyable!

Many of you signed up—and should have received—the first day of the 30-day True Woman Make-Over. I thought it would be fun to post this “make-over” on the blog so that we can talk about what we're learning together . . .

I recently asked Joni Eareckson Tada ten questions—questions about the
True Woman ’08 conference, about true womanhood, and about her
marriage. You can watch the entire behind-the-scenes interview now, or just read a condensed version here . . .